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MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... January 8, 2024 January 8, 2024 January 8, 2024 January 8, 2024 Winter stuff https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/latest.oklahoma.winds.png Yes, FINALLY the December summary is out (bottom of the Ticker), if anybody cares anymore. Hey, don't blame me...a trip to London, a kidney stone and nasty cold, yada yada yada, there's your summary. By the way, never had a kidney stone before. I wouldn't recommend one. Imagine going to the bathroom and pushing a porcupine out. Backwards. That's all I'm gonna say about that. Watch out for the wind today. As you can see, we'll have gusts higher that 65 mph possible in the NW, and up to maybe 40-50 as you go east. That goes along with a driving snowstorm in the Panhandle where 2-8 inches of snow are possible to produce blizzard conditions. Travel...forget it! For the rest of us, a driving cold rain. Heck, it's raining right now for crying out loud! https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/current-radar.png And notice that this storm system has taken on the classic comma-head shape (hey, Comma-Head Shape was my band's name in the Coast Guard!), and later today with that system spinning counter-clockwise, the back end is gonna see some good wrap-around moisture and bring down some cold air from the North and produce that snow in northern OK. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/current-us-radar.png With that cold air and those gusty winds, we'll get a taste of what's coming this weekend tomorrow morning, with wind chills down into the single digits and teens. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/Tuesday-9am-wind.chills.png Then, SOMETIME around Friday, we're gonna get a blast of true Arctic air, and then we could see a February 2021-lite version of winter where we stay below freezing for several days. A bit far out to say for sure, but get ready for winter-fer-real. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/sunday-6am-wind.chills.png Another storm system Friday and then again early next week could mean snow for some of us or all of us, just depends on the storm track of those systems. They're still wayyyy out in Pacific, so still a very uncertain forecast. We'll again show you one of our favorite graphics showing the large spread in model output several days out vs. a closer event. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20221021/forecasting-chaos.png Unfortunately, not talking a ton of moisture here as you go down to the SW (dry slot misery), but if it's cold enough, it could produce a good snow or two. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/7day-rain-forecast.gif The cold air is certain, the timing of the cold air is uncertain, and the precipitation totals and types and tracks, very uncertain. Stay tuned! Now, back to ancient history. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warm December Caps Warm 2023 Jan. 8, 2023 December was unusually warm across all of Oklahoma, and uncommonly wet across the northwestern third. A prolonged absence of Arctic air led to the state’s fourth warmest December since records began in 1895, and contributed to 2023’s rank as the 10th warmest calendar year. The month continued a string of Decembers with above normal temperatures in the last decade. The Decembers of 2019 and 2015 ranked as the 13th and sixth warmest across the state, respectively. In 2021, we witnessed an unprecedented event as December marked the pinnacle of extremes, finishing over 10 degrees above the normal temperature. This surpassed the previous record for the warmest December, set in 1933, by more than 5 degrees. The only outlier in the past 10 years was December 2016, which stood at half a degree below normal. December moisture surpluses amounted to 200-400% of normal, while deficits reigned to the southeast. A storm system from Dec. 13-15 deposited 2-4 inches of snow across the Panhandle, with other wintry weather resulting in mostly light totals. Severe weather remained almost entirely absent in December, with no confirmed tornadoes. The preliminary tornado total for 2023 stands at 74, significantly higher than the 1950-2022 average of 57.3 twisters. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/december-avg-temps.png The statewide average temperature for the month concluded at 44.6 degrees, surpassing the normal by 4.5 degrees. December's highest temperature, reaching 80 degrees, was recorded in Beaver on Dec. 7 and again in Burneyville the following day. Kenton experienced the month's lowest temperature, dropping to 10 degrees on the second. In 2023, the statewide average temperature stood at 62 degrees, exceeding the normal by 1.6 degrees. The highest recorded temperature for 2023 was 114 degrees in Grandfield on Aug. 17, while the lowest was minus one degree in Kenton on Feb. 17. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/dec-avg-temps.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/dec-avg-temps-depart.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/2023-avg-temps.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/2023-avg-temps-depart.png The statewide average precipitation total for the month reached 2.62 inches, exceeding the normal by 0.51 inches and ranking as the 25th wettest December since records began in 1895. The western half of the state experienced a significant surplus of 1-3 inches, while the eastern half largely faced deficits of around an inch. The Panhandle enjoyed its third wettest December on record, boasting an average surplus of 1.71 inches, and the west-central region's surplus of 2.1 inches ranked their month as the seventh wettest. The southeast fared the worst, marking their 43rd driest December with a deficit of 1.89 inches. The Mesonet site at Cookson led the state with 4.99 inches, and another 34 sites recorded at least 3 inches for the month. Kenton brought up the rear with 0.83 inches. In 2023, Oklahoma finished as the 48th wettest year on record, with a statewide average of 36.23 inches, falling short of normal by 0.13 inches. The Panhandle once again performed exceptionally well with an average of 27.12 inches, surpassing the normal by 6.97 inches and ranking as their sixth wettest year on record. The Mt. Herman Mesonet site led 2023's totals at 65.72 inches, while Boise City had the lowest total with 16.87 inches. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/dec-rain-totals.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/dec-rain-departures.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/dec-pct-normal.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/2023-rain-totals.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/2023-rain-depart-normal.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/2023-rain-pct-normal.png Drought coverage in the state decreased from 34% at the end of November to 22% at the close of December, as reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor. During the same period, the extent of severe and extreme drought reduced from 11% to 3%. The January outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center indicate increased odds of below-normal temperatures across all regions except far southeastern Oklahoma, with above-normal precipitation expected across the entire state. Despite the potential for increased precipitation, CPC's drought outlook anticipates persisting drought conditions through January in areas where it currently exists. The CPC predicts El Niño to continue throughout the winter before transitioning to neutral conditions in the spring. This ocean-atmosphere coupling phenomenon can bring cool and wet conditions to the Southern Tier of the United States, including Oklahoma, during the cool season. https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/jan-outlooks.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/jan-drought-outlook.png https://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20240108/El-Nino-odds.gif ### Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey gmcmanus@mesonet.org ================================================== The OCS/Mesonet Ticker https://ticker.mesonet.org/ To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Ticker or for questions about the Ticker or its content Phone or Email the Ticker Manager at OCS Phone: 405-325-2253 Email: ticker@mesonet.org --------------------------------------------------- -C- Copyright 2024 Oklahoma Climatological Survey ===================================================